LAST MONTH ON PS PLUS

As the spooky season approached, there were apparently only two things that scared PS Plus subscribers: vampires and renewing their car tax. Joking aside, October’s two top titles did make for one of the more surreal banner images we’ve seen on the PlayStation blog to date.

First up was Need for Speed Payback, a racing game that gave you ample opportunity to burn rubber in its open world. Unlike the 2015 series reboot before it, this 2017 entry featured a day/night cycle as well as an offline single-player campaign. A group of car-mad friends fell afoul of a cartel’s dodgy dealings, uncovering a race-rigging plot and then vowing to beat them at their own game. There were fraught finish-line moments, heist missions, and, of course, more cars than you could shake your steering column at. We gave this Need For Speed entry 7/10 back in issue 144 – and it was by no means the only diamond in the rough for PS Plus subscribers last month. October’s other title was perhaps more rough than edge but remains one of my personal favourites as far as 7/10 titles go – what can I say, it’s got bite! I know my puns are a pain in the neck but Vampyr demands it. You were Doctor Jonathan Reid, a pioneering physician returning to London after the Great War. Quickly bitten in an overwrought opening animatic that featured the phrase “WHAT IS GLASS BUT TORTURED SAND?” Reid soon found himself caught between a newfound thirst and the Hippocratic oath. From there you had to decide whether to eat your way through London’s dour denizens and mess around with all the fun powers your new condition provided, or to go hungry and do what you could to help those who remain. For vampire mavens, this action RPG was worth sinking your teeth into.